Prescott's mother, Pastor Rosslind Prescott-McClinton, said detectives called her late Monday and told her Chaney had been captured and Chaney's mother also had been taken into custody, accused of helping him flee and elude authorities.

"God is so good," she said Tuesday morning.

Chaney was quickly charged in Prescott's killing in November 2015, but he eluded authorities for 19 months.

Michael J. Prescott and his mother, Pastor Rosslind Prescott-McClinton, pose for a photo after his high school graduation.(Photo: Family photo)

After he was back in custody in May, Chaney demanded a speedy trial. Prosecutors were not ready to go to trial by the deadline in September, in part because of problems with a key witness.

As a result, Judge Carolina Stark granted Chaney's request for a signature bond, even though the prosecutor argued against it.

A signature bond is a promise to appear for court proceedings, usually with a monetary penalty for failing to show up. In Chaney's case, the penalty was $250,000 — none of which he had to pay up front.

Under state law, if a person requests a speedy trial, a judge cannot postpone a trial date because of prosecutors' failure to obtain witnesses, a lack of diligent preparation or the court calendar's "general congestion."

Chaney appeared for trial last Monday through Wednesday and fled before proceedings began on Thursday. Stark issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Despite Chaney's absence, a jury convicted him Friday of first-degree intentional homicide. The charge carries a mandatory life prison sentence.

Carr thanked the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, Milwaukee police and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office for "substantial assistance" in capturing Chaney.

Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt praised the U.S. Marshals Task Force, saying their cooperative efforts "effectively took this murderer off the streets."